The Inland Motor Patrol M30-IMP Pistol

Seeing as the M1 Carbine has outlived any practical role that one could think up, Inland Manufacturing decided they needed to slap the firearm equivalent of an Affliction T-shirt on an M1 Carbine-based pistol sporting a 7.5-inch barrel. Why? Hell if we know, but it looks interesting.

MKS Supply, the representative company of brands such as Hi-Point, Inland Manufacturing, and Barnaul Ammunition, brought a couple of their M1 Carbine options to the Big 3 East Media Event, one of those was the Inland Motor Patrol Pistol M30-IMP. While our past experiences with the Inland M1s haven't been stellar (like in this review), we couldn't help but be drawn to the pistol that somehow bears a slight resemblance to a tire fire.

The thing is, shooting the damned thing was more fun than we care to admit. Something about a nose heavy pistol stuffed into a Sage chassis (Yep, the same guys that do the M14 EBR stock) that happens to be chambered in .30 Carbine puts a smile on your face. Could it be something to do with the ear pro defeating blast that makes it seem as though the pistol is going to rip your arm off but only slightly nudges you and rocks gently in your hands? Maybe.

Don't kid yourself into thinking that this pistol is all roses. On top of the staggering 72-ounce weight, the well-abused show sample on the firing line was having some light strike issues throughout the event.

The sights on the M30-IMP are an interesting adaptation of the original M1 Carbine sights. The rear appears to be a standard M1 Carbine unit while the front sight is a simple serrated blade milled into the top of the chassis' handguard.

The Sage chassis fitted to the M30-IMP is supposed to be hard coat anodized, but the strange peeling of the finish was eyebrow-raising. The peeling was especially prevalent around the QD socket at the rear of the chassis. Who knows if this was a pre-production unit that has spent all its time at events being shot to death by ham-fisted journalists or if this is indicative of the version consumers get. Either way, it should have a nice hard coat anodized finish.

Even though there were several things that made us question the concept, the damned thing was just too fun to shoot, and we kept coming back again and again to enjoy the stumpy powerhouse. Is it practical? Nope, not even a little bit. Is it something that would be fun to take to the indoor range once in a while to jack with the people shooting next to you? Shit yeah, it is.